Cancelled/postponed trips due to COVID - please share your outcomes

[tridacna]

I had a reservation on the Arenui for Komodo and they have been horrible! 90 days prior to departure, with a level 4 travel alert to their country and with the city that I live in having just extended our "stay at home" order, their only solution is for me to send them the full balance due or loose my deposit. They have a zero tolerance refund policy. Diver beware, if you ever send them any money, you will never see a red cent of it back under any circumstances. No voucher for a future trip with my $4,000.00 deposit. Trip insurance doesn't cover Covid unless you are sick on or immediately before the trip. They also insist that their mid August trip is on. I just read this morning that the President of Indonesia just admitted that he has intentionally suppressed data about the number of cases of Covid 19 in his country because he didn't want to cause panic! How about some honesty, compassion and a care for the many divers that would like to travel and enjoy your country? There are many beautiful places in the world to dive and operations to dive with, don't make the same mistake that I did in choosing the Arenui dive operation to take your money and run.

Wow! That was on my list for next year. No more.

 

[O-ring]

Wow! That was on my list for next year. No more.

Yeah, this one made me sad. After looking at the Arenui online earlier this year I was salivating to get on board. Makes most of the boats I've been on look like pup tents by comparison. At least I've got plenty of time on my hands figure out a plan B.

 

[P-Dog]

I was supposed to leave today for Egypt to go dive with Discovery Divers on the 23rd of May for two weeks in the Red Sea. They insisted that the trip was going. I booked through PADI Travel. My flights were cancelled, so I booked new flights with another airline. Those flights were also cancelled two weeks ago and no other flights were available. The hotel in Cairo cancelled and refunded my money because they are not allowing guests. I recently learned that all commercial air travel within Egypt is suspended and there is a 14 day quarantine for all returning residents arriving in Egypt. There was no way that the trip was going to take place.

PADI Travel told me I could re-book at a later date, so I booked new flights in August, which is the low season. I was immediately charged 400 Euros additional funds for the trip. It's the same exact itinerary and the low season, but the price has gone up. I expressed my frustration to PADI Travel and was told that's the policy, like it or lump it.

 

[outofofficebrb]

Hi, all. Sorry for my radio silence and lack of visiting SB...The company I work for has some aspects of it which are deemed essential during the lockdown so they have been re-opening our stores gradually and I have been "on the ground" and helping our stores and away from my usual desk job, hence the significantly reduced time on SB.

I have updated the log today, May 21 for everything except for the one about the Arenui (waiting for more detail).

I spoke to a very friendly United customer service agent over the weekend. As you all know, they have extended the validity of the vouchers they are issuing for 2 years. She confirmed that they just have to be USED by the 2 year expiration date, but actual date of travel and completion of travel is another matter. Since they generally publish schedules about a year in advance, that leaves you with almost 3 years to use it if you consider the actual date of travel as well.

@manumachin Any updates? Are they still holding steady on their request for 30-40% more than the balance which you have paid?

Just got word today that my June 20 T&C Aggressor trip has been cancelled and I will be receiving the same voucher good for 1 year.

@outofofficebrb - where are we going? I've got an Aggressor voucher burning a hole in my pocket and just got an email with a bunch of coral snob destinations on sale that would be right up your alley. Maybe a mini-LOB invasion once quarantine ends?

Is your voucher open-ended for any boat/destination? I'm all about Indonesia!

I had a reservation on the Arenui for Komodo and they have been horrible! 90 days prior to departure, with a level 4 travel alert to their country and with the city that I live in having just extended our "stay at home" order, their only solution is for me to send them the full balance due or loose my deposit. They have a zero tolerance refund policy. Diver beware, if you ever send them any money, you will never see a red cent of it back under any circumstances. No voucher for a future trip with my $4,000.00 deposit. Trip insurance doesn't cover Covid unless you are sick on or immediately before the trip. They also insist that their mid August trip is on. I just read this morning that the President of Indonesia just admitted that he has intentionally suppressed data about the number of cases of Covid 19 in his country because he didn't want to cause panic! How about some honesty, compassion and a care for the many divers that would like to travel and enjoy your country? There are many beautiful places in the world to dive and operations to dive with, don't make the same mistake that I did in choosing the Arenui dive operation to take your money and run.

Have you asked them what will happen if you pay the full deposit and you are unable to go because there are either no flights to go (canceled), a travel ban (whether exit of your home country or entry into Indonesia), or domestic travel issues (issued by Indonesia, such as the current one in place now which has a domestic ban on air/land/sea/)? It sounds like they are moving forward with the trip as if nothing is going to change and they are acting based on the regular policies. Please update me and let me know so I can log it properly - I haven't logged the Arenui one yet.

Thanks.

 

[outofofficebrb]

I was supposed to leave today for Egypt to go dive with Discovery Divers on the 23rd of May for two weeks in the Red Sea. They insisted that the trip was going. I booked through PADI Travel. My flights were cancelled, so I booked new flights with another airline. Those flights were also cancelled two weeks ago and no other flights were available. The hotel in Cairo cancelled and refunded my money because they are not allowing guests. I recently learned that all commercial air travel within Egypt is suspended and there is a 14 day quarantine for all returning residents arriving in Egypt. There was no way that the trip was going to take place.

PADI Travel told me I could re-book at a later date, so I booked new flights in August, which is the low season. I was immediately charged 400 Euros additional funds for the trip. It's the same exact itinerary and the low season, but the price has gone up. I expressed my frustration to PADI Travel and was told that's the policy, like it or lump it.

Hi -

PADI Travel is likely being the messenger on what the actual boat's policies are. It is usual for a boat to increase their rates with each passing year for the same itinerary but that does not explain doing it outside of a calendar year (2020 vs 2021, as an example). It totally sucks, though. Have you tried to see if PADI Travel will reach out to the boat to see if there are exceptions that can be made based on the circumstances (COVID, unprecedented)? Essentially, this is not a true reschedule...I am happy to log it as such if you want. Just let me know. How much more is 400 Euros as a percentage of what you have already paid? Have you already paid the entire balance already? If you can provide more details, that would be great for the log. Thanks!

 

[O-ring]

Is your voucher open-ended for any boat/destination? I'm all about Indonesia!

Negative. Voucher is for same length trip, same cabin and same boat only and is non-transferable.

 

[P-Dog]

Hi -

PADI Travel is likely being the messenger on what the actual boat's policies are. It is usual for a boat to increase their rates with each passing year for the same itinerary but that does not explain doing it outside of a calendar year (2020 vs 2021, as an example). It totally sucks, though. Have you tried to see if PADI Travel will reach out to the boat to see if there are exceptions that can be made based on the circumstances (COVID, unprecedented)? Essentially, this is not a true reschedule...I am happy to log it as such if you want. Just let me know. How much more is 400 Euros as a percentage of what you have already paid? Have you already paid the entire balance already? If you can provide more details, that would be great for the log. Thanks!

Hi - I heard from Discovery Divers this morning. What they said is, essentially, this: I booked my trip for 2020 in December of 2019. They raised their rates in January, 2020. So, although both of my bookings, the original one for May that was cancelled and the new one for August, are in 2020 I will be up-charged for the August booking since it was "booked" in 2020.

I had already paid in full, which was 2,150 Euros. A 400 Euro increase is about 19%.

They admitted that all flights are banned into the country and that the May trip was cancelled. They agree that there was no way for me to go on the original booking. They apologize that I am upset by the new charges, but they are going to charge them anyway.

That is more information than I have ever received from PADI Travel.

 

[JustSurfaceInterval]

Ah - ok - i was not quick enough on the other thread.

Another (nasty) idea: what cancellation policy will you have after rebooking to August 2020?
If these are the Discovery Divers in Hurghada, their homepage says:

91 or more days prior to departure cancellation fee of 25%
90 – 29 days prior to departure cancellation fee of 50%
28 days or less prior to departure cancellation fee of 100%​

May be that's a way to minimise your loss.

Saying that, i don't have real confidence that they will recharge any money...

 

[P-Dog]

Ah - ok - i was not quick enough on the other thread.

Another (nasty) idea: what cancellation policy will you have after rebooking to August 2020?
If these are the Discovery Divers in Hurghada, their homepage says:

91 or more days prior to departure cancellation fee of 25%
90 – 29 days prior to departure cancellation fee of 50%
28 days or less prior to departure cancellation fee of 100%​

May be that's a way to minimise your loss.

Saying that, i don't have real confidence that they will recharge any money...

That's them. Their boats are the Samira and the Amelia. You are right in your other post. At this point I have no interest in meeting them. Egypt is very, very far away from Hawaii (it takes my nearly three days to get there) and I don't want to take a trip with people I don't like.

 

[outofofficebrb]

That's them. Their boats are the Samira and the Amelia. You are right in your other post. At this point I have no interest in meeting them. Egypt is very, very far away from Hawaii (it takes my nearly three days to get there) and I don't want to take a trip with people I don't like.

It is a tough situation but I am in the camp of thought that believes that because it was not possible for you to get into the country and they canceled the sailing anyway, through this unprecedented time and special circumstance, the least they could do is to extend you the same trip in August without having you pay more. They aren't incurring any additional costs by doing this as a result and if anything, the amount they are trying to charge you will be offset by the bad publicity that they will be getting based on their decisions and policies. How many people will now cancel or not book with them because of this?

I'm so sorry you are going through this. I have added this to the log for you. Thanks for providing more clarity. I hope you get a better resolution and please keep us posted if you do. We received an unacceptable response from our liveaboard and it was our agent who really helped be our advocate to get a solution that was agreeable and more fair for everyone involved. See if they can further help you and at the very least, you can share the word so others are aware.